Language, Round Two: Still up and Fighting

Right off the bat, our team liked the new program a lot more than the old method. It required a bit of working with our teacher(s), but it was definitely worth it. One teacher completely understood, while the other was a bit resistant to repeat and to let us simply listen. Day one, he made one of us cry, one of us very confused, and the other wanting to punch him. After working with both (and having to go back to just one instructor), we've finally got the process down.

As the designated language nerd, I spend class time mentally playing with sentences, since the program doesn't allow us to talk right away. Then, Amanda just shakes her head and tells me I'm enjoying this too much. Now, we have a good 300-400 words under our belt. To give you an idea of things we have learned (and just for some entertainment) here are a few things we could say:

     I am riding my tiger to the market to greet my friend Umu.

     I am taking my rabbit. à I am setting my rabbit on fire. (unfortunately similar statements)

     I drive my iron horse (AKA bicycle) to the village.

     The old man kicks the cow. The cow bites the old man’s elbow. He headbutts the cow.

     I park my car on a goat.

     I am combing the lion’s mane. I braid the lion’s hair. He has a big head.  

     Karissa is thinking about boys. (This was actually our teacher's suggestion)

All in all, it's been fun learning, but I'm ready to be able to talk freely in their first language, instead of a foreign language for the both of us. That will make drinking tea for three hours that much more enjoyable. 

Lost in Translation

For the past week and a half, Team BK (that would be my coworkers and me) has been delving into language learning. We have a tutor who comes to our compound to teach. However, since the strongest language we have in common with our teacher is my French, a lot is lost in translation. Even after a couple hours of study, my brain is the consistency of jello from attempting to filter through three languages simultaneously. So, classes haven't quite gone as we had hoped. 

Here's a little snapshot of class: 

Formal class: 

Our teacher: (insert Jula word) ...  (give meaning in French)
Me: (discuss meaning in French)

Our teacher: (gives another variant of the original word and explains why one would use it.)

Me: (more discussion in French)

Me: (relay word to teammates, slipping into French mid-sentence)

Team BK: (forgets original word)

After class, we would attempt to practice with locals. This idea would be a great one... if we were in the city where we will be living. However, in the capital, the language we're learning isn't really spoken by the majority. In fact, there are over 60 languages spoken in the country, which makes finding Jula speakers a bit more difficult. 

This is typically how it went:

Street practice:
Vendor: (greets in Mòoré, Fulfuldé, etc.)
Team BK: (looks elsewhere)
Fruit lady: (greets in Jula)
Team BK: (broken greetings)

Fruit lady: (continues in Jula)
Team BK: (blank stares) 

Fortunately, we were trained in a newer language learning approach this weekend. In this system, class wouldn’t need to be translated, taking away the frustration of the team in having to wait on me and my frustration of double translation. Lord willing, we'll be able to pick up a bit more this way. It would be nice to actually talk to people eventually...